Synthetic anti-oxidants extend mouse lifespan

According to a press release, a team of medical researchers reports they have demonstrated that synthetic catalytic anti-oxidants can help treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsonís and Alzheimerís, and enhance overall lifespan in mice. The work was reported in the November 2001 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. The report details experiments in which the treatment rescued a severe neurological phenotype in mice engineered to undergo a specific form of oxidative damage. Treatment with the synthetic catalytic scavengers of reactive oxygen species (SCSs) also resulted in a dramatic enhancement of lifespan of the mice.